Behind the Makeup

I first noticed the blog and YouTube channel ‘My Pale Skin’ when a video in July 2015 called ‘You Look Disgusting’ went viral. If you have social media you would have probably heard about Em Ford, the 26-year-old from London, or seen the video of her showing viewers the comments she has had about her appearance; good and bad. She has achieved great success through her blog and her YouTube channel, and she has worked with major labels such as Kylie Jenner, BBC and L’Oréal. Recently she went to the Marc Jacobs make-up launch in LA.

Em started her blog in January 2014 as just a hobby to discover the world of beauty, make new friends and learn more photography skills but it turned out to change her life for good. It was actually after she started her blog that Em developed adult acne in March 2015, and she bravely shared images of herself with and without make-up on her social media accounts.

The video ‘You Look Disgusting’ consists of her wearing no make-up to begin with and comments such as ‘you look disgusting’ appearing next to her. Then she starts putting on make-up and, afterwards, comments like ‘You are so perfect’ show up on the screen. Then, like what many girls hear, comments begin to say ‘This is amazing… but so gross’, ‘Only ugly girls wear make-up’ and ‘This is false advertising’. The video just shows that you cannot please everyone in life and unfortunately people are always going to pick on something about you, but you can just ignore and embrace your differences.

In our society people judge others so quickly, with the phrase ‘cake face’ going around like wild fire. Personally I only wear make-up when I am going out somewhere nice, but if I’m just going to the shops I don’t; to be honest I just can’t be bothered putting it on and then taking it off within fifteen minutes. So when someone says something about me wearing make-up, I think to myself, ‘who are you to say anything about what I do to my skin’, and that’s exactly what others think when seeing this video. If girls want to wear make-up then let them, whether it be a light coat or the whole bottle.

If you are one of those people who voices unnecessary comments on others’ appearance, the video shows that you don’t know the person on the inside or if they have any insecurities, and that’s one of the reasons why they wear make-up. Or they just like wearing make-up, so stop making hurtful comments! You’re probably no Channing Tatum or Jennifer Lawrence.

What I admire about Em’s blog is that she gives tips about how to feel more self-confident, how to get rid of acne and she also does make up tutorials. It can also be a safety net for women who have problems with their skin and want some good advice from someone else who has been through the same thing. It’s an inspiration to feel beautiful in your skin and to embrace even your flaws, because they are beautiful too.